Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest

Hope. Love. Home. Sanctuary

chimpanzee

The Hermit

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Negra is the grandma of the Cle Elum Seven.

She is not the kind of grandma who bakes you cookies, but the kind who tells you to get your life together and grumbles about those kids on her lawn. Negra knows exactly who she is and what she likes. She is stuck in her ways. She appreciates comfort and routine and predictability (and peanuts and lettuce). She is highly suspicious of change. She will not tolerate your shenanigans.

Negra chooses to spend about 80% of her time in a big, soft nest in the same spot on the playroom catwalk, in front of a window that looks out over the valley. The playroom is warm and dry and safe, and Negra sees little reason to leave it.

But for a few short months out of the year, the conditions in the greenhouse are so perfect that even Negra can’t resist. She ventures out early in the morning to enjoy the warm sun and gentle breezes, and that’s usually where we find her when we arrive at the sanctuary to start the day. Soon enough the weather will change again and Negra will be back in her nest inside, buried under piles of blankets. But while it lasts, we’re thrilled to see Negra get out and see what the world has to offer.

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Jody’s eyes

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Today started, as it often does this time of year, on a peaceful note with most people relaxing in the greenhouse. I found Jody, Missy and Annie grooming each other quietly at the top of the greenhouse as they gazed out over Young’s Hill. Jody was the recipient of this session and I was able to capture her beautiful eyes she soaked in the view and the love from her chimp family.

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Another sign of Spring

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J.B. mentioned last week that the real first day of Spring at the sancutary is Negra emerging from the cozy indoors onto Young’s Hill. Well, Missy has her own way of indicating that it’s Spring.

Missy can be a pit preoccupied with having what we call the “barn doors” open – even during the winter months. The barn doors are the two wooden doors that cover the steel doors that open up to the playroom from the outside.

barn doors

We keep them closed during cold weather, but sometimes Missy will still ask for them to be open even when it’s chilly. If we oblige, she will usually just walk away.

But, when it gets warmer, we prop the wooden doors open and the chimpanzees can spend time in the sun in that spot as well as the many other sunny spots in the building, in the greenhouse, and on the hill.

Today, volunteer Denice came by to do some garden prep, and Missy was curious about her activities, overseeing Denice’s work and looking out the window where she’ll be able to see the tomatoes growing in just a few months:

Missy hanging on window

With the warmer weather and barn doors open more regularly now, Missy, for whatever reason, tends to initiate more interactions with her human caregivers.

Here are some photos of Missy enticing me to play by showing me a towel and pushing it through the mesh of the steel barn doors:

Missy hold towl

Missy look at camera with towel

Missy pushing towel through caging

Missy pushing towel through caging

Missy pushing towel through caging

I responded by ditching the camera and running over to the barn doors where Missy was waiting, and she quickly whisked the towel away and waited by the doors where I had been standing inside the building, pushing the towel through there. This process repeated, sometimes with Missy allowing me to grab the other end of the towel and playing tug of a war for a few seconds.

To me, Missy initiating tug of war and having me run around from inside to outside is the final sign of Spring.

Thank you, Missy!

Missy sitting aginst wall

Missy looking up

Interning at CSNW

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For years, Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest has relied on student volunteers from Central Washington University to help us care for the chimps.  Last year, we formalized our relationship with the university to allow primate behavior students to gain experience at the sanctuary and learn from our staff as a direct part of their academic training. Students in the undergraduate Primate Behavior & Ecology program and graduate students in the Primate Behavior Master of Science program prepare for their internship at the sanctuary through a course called Procedures in Captive Primate Care, which is taught by CSNW staff. Then, they earn course credits by coming out each week to chop veggies, prepare enrichment, clean enclosures, and in some cases, provide direct care to the chimps. They get a chance to learn about chimpanzee behavior and husbandry while giving back to the chimps they are learning so much from.

All of our staff were trained in one way or another – either through an internship, undergraduate degree, or graduate degree – at Central Washington University, and we are happy to be able to help train another generation of primate caregivers, field researchers, conservationists.

Recently, our local NBC affiliate came out to the sanctuary to do a segment on the internship program:

NBC Right Now/KNDO/KNDU Tri-Cities, Yakima, WA |

In other news, everything is green here at the sanctuary and the chimps are slowly eating their way through all two acres of grass and weeds on Young’s Hill.

Missy:

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Jody:

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Foxie:

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Today is for the chimpanzees and Monica Best!

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Today we are so fortunate to have two people sponsor this day of sanctuary, Monica Best and Linda Miller! Six years ago the chimps’ good friend, Monica Best, officially declared April 23rd “Love a Chimpanzee Day” and she sponsors the day each year for the chimps. Monica has a huge heart full of love and respect for all the special animal beings we share the earth with and she does so much to make a difference in their lives. She shared this message about today: “Love a Chimpanzee Day!  In honor of my seven favorite chimps and all the dedicated staff and volunteers who care for them!!!”

Today also happens to be Monica’s birthday! Her mom, Linda Miller, chose to add even more love to the day and celebrate Monica by sponsoring today in her daughter’s honor and she wishes Monica “a very Happy Birthday.”

Monica and Linda, thank you so much for making this day so special for the chimpanzees! We wish you the happiest of days, Monica, and hope you know that because of you, their lives are better. Happy Birthday and Happy Love a Chimpanzee Day!!

Annie:

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Burrito:

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Foxie:

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Jamie:

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Jody:

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Missy:

Missy's birthday portrait

Negra:

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Community

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I could not help but feel incredibly moved this morning, as myself and volunteers Erin and Tanya were cleaning the Greenhouse portion of the chimpanzee’s living quarters. There is a brightly colored painting with supporter names on the one main wall that caught my attention and I stopped to really look at it. There are so many names on the wall. As I continued to look around at all of the items in the Greenhouse, all I could think about was how every component of the sanctuary is the result of a community of loving, thoughtful and caring people.

There are so many components that make up the sanctuary, including various paintings on the walls that really help to brighten the chimpanzee areas. Various structures, tires and dangling fire hoses provide space for the chimps to climb, play, and rest. Countless blankets and enrichment items contribute to the chimpanzees’ comfort and well-being. Even the tools we use to clean, including the scrub brushes, squeegees, buckets, soap, right down to the very gloves we wear, help staff and volunteers keep the enclosures clean. Fresh fruits and vegetables make up each of the meals, while bamboo planted around Young’s Hill and in the Greenhouse give the chimps extra nesting and foraging material. And then there are the enclosures and storage spaces themselves that have been made possible by those who have donated their time, energy, expertise and the actual materials needed to construct them.

All of CSNW, every square inch, every little detail, has been made possible by countless volunteers and generous supporters. These chimpanzees are loved world wide and I can’t think of a better gift to give them than a community that is dedicated to their well-being. I know it can never make up for the countless ways in which they have been wronged in the past, but it’s the best we all can do to provide them a now and a future that is full of hope, love and sanctuary.

Looking around and seeing all the parts that make up the whole got me to thinking, why do we do it? Why do we dedicate our lives to the well-being of these chimpanzees? Is it a sense of responsibility, a way to show our compassion for all living beings, or is it when we look into their eyes, we see ourselves? Perhaps there are no words to describe why. What is your reason for being a part of Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest?

Annie
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Burrito
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Foxie
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Jamie
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Jody
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Missy
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Negra
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Which ever way you choose to support the sanctuary, know that you have and will continue to make a huge impact on the lives of these chimpanzees. And thank you!!! Thank you those who have and those who continue to volunteer at the sanctuary; those who have donated their time, energy and services to help our various fundraising efforts including the HOOT! Gala event; those who help spread the word about the plight of chimpanzees in captivity and in the wild through our Eyes on Apes advocacy program; those who have donated items through our Wishlist, and those who choose to Sponsor a day in honor of a loved one or directly sponsor a chimpanzee through our Chimpanzee Pal program. Thank you for being a part of the CSNW community.

Curiosity

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For as long as I can remember, I’ve been fascinated by nonhuman great apes. For a time it was just an interest that added to my overall identity – like how some people like owls, or koala bears, or unicorns.

I admired “Leakey’s Ladies” – Dian Fosey, Jane Goodall, and Birute Gladikas – and daydreamed about following in their footsteps.

In truth, though, my fascination came prior to developing a true understanding and compassion for nonhuman apes. It was just an intense curiosity.

They are, after all, so familiar in some ways.

Foxie's hand holding her foot

So like humans, yet different – exotic

Foxie close-up

Jamie standing bipedal

Luckily, I happened upon the right people at the right time and was ready to rethink this fascination and the historical relationship that humans have had to other apes.

Human curiosity can lead to a lot of destruction when it is not balanced with compassion.

Now I wonder what the world would be like today if humans weren’t so curious about other species. What if we just left them alone instead of bringing them into our world to study them and then use them for our own benefit?

We can’t go backwards, though. The human world has clashed and combined and intertwined with the worlds of other animals. So there are places like Chimpanzee Sanctuary Northwest, where we try to make up for wrongs committed against other species, and we try to demonstrate and spread compassion for our closest living relatives, and for other nonhuman animals too.

Our curiosity is just as strong, if not stronger, but hopefully compassion combined with fascination makes for a more hopeful future for all species who share this planet.

Jamie walking

Burrito looking away

Jody close-up